


Dearly Departed

by KyloTrashForever



Series: Oneshots [20]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Expect A Twist, F/M, Haunted House, Rey Isn’t Crazy, Reylo - Freeform, Sorry I Don’t Normally Write Angst, Still An HEA, Vaginal Sex, angsty smut, emotional smut, or is she?, this is angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 02:06:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16466633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyloTrashForever/pseuds/KyloTrashForever
Summary: Ben just wants what’s best for her.Rey just wants him to believe her.Ben always has to go.Theynever do.They come back.They always come back.





	Dearly Departed

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween! For my _trick_ I wanted to serve up a little angst, but a _treat_ will follow!  <3  
> P.S. My oldest turns four today! Happy birthday to my little monster.

* * *

“We could go today,” he urged fervently, his voice little more than a hushed whisper. “I’ll go with you.” It had been his chosen solution to their predicament for months, she huffed as he clasped their hands together and gazed at her with that look in his eye, the voiceless plea.  
  
Rey peered at him from across the table, frowning. No matter how she implored him to understand her feelings and thoughts on the matter, he always seemed to brush them off. “I told you, I don’t need to go. I’m not crazy.” There was more bite to her words than intended but her irritation had grown with every passing day.  
  
Ben shook his head in reply, sighing. “I don’t think you’re crazy, I think you’re confused. You’re just lost.”  
  
Mirroring his demeanour, she scowled, blowing out a frustrated puff of air. “You still don’t believe me.” When would he trust her?  
  
His brow knit, his eyes filled with a heavy kind of sympathy. “You’re not seeing ghosts, Rey.”  
  
Incensed, she tore her hand from his and slapped her palm flat on the table with a resounding smack. “I _am_ . You disappear for weeks off to God knows where and leave me here all alone... there are _strange_ things happening in this house, Ben!”

Without his belief in her observations, she felt herself slowly turning into a shadow of herself, pacing the halls for hours on end, wringing her hands as she waited for him to return. It had been months since she left the house.  
  
“You know I have to go,” he said regretfully. “You could come with me. It would do you good to get away from this place.”.  
  
Her reply was always the same despite how it visibly hurt him. Closing her eyes, she inhaled slowly and shook her head. “My place is here. You know that. Someone has to look after the house.”  
  
Ben inclined his neck in her direction and gave her a long look before he finally hung his head in defeat. Every time he came home, it was the same argument. He’d plead with her to seek respite outside of these walls, the home they had worked so painstakingly to make their own and fill it with love. Despite the recent happenings, it was her safe haven and she didn’t need some stranger telling her she was crazy. She _wasn’t_ crazy. If only she could make him see, perhaps then he would work with her instead of against her.  

For months now, there had been odd happenings occurring in their home. It had started small— things winding up where they shouldn’t be, a door closing by itself, phantom footsteps crossing the floor upstairs... Rey had begged Ben to come home the first time, scared out of her mind with no one else to call. Without him, she felt vulnerable, so utterly terrified at the prospect of facing these forces alone.    
  
He couldn’t, of course he couldn’t. His business kept him elsewhere, absent for weeks on end before he could return home to her. Though she would count the seconds until he came back, his homecoming was always bittersweet. As soon as her eyes locked with his, a sense of comfort and completion filled her. She was always happy to see him, to hold him, of course she was… only, the marital bliss seemed to always be short lived. No matter how she tried to convince him to stay with her, to _help_ her, it always ended in the same manner. Some nights, he would fall to his knees as he begged her to go away with him. Through wet kisses, he promised to take her to wherever he thought she needed to be and each time, she would adamantly refuse despite how it chipped away at her husband.  
  
“Rey... I love you,” he whispered. “I only want what’s best for you.”  
  
Her lips curled back in a pout, she could only stare back him in a defeated manner. “Then believe me.”  
  
Ben let his head fall into his hands, his shoulders slumping and she knew they had reached an impasse yet again. It would always end this way. In some ways, she could not hold it against him, he could not believe what he could not see. With a deep sigh, he rose from the table, rounding it so he could pull her face to his. It was gentle at first with an underlying desperation, his long fingers threaded through her chestnut tresses and coaxed her closer still. His lips covered hers sweetly and  in turn, her eyes fluttered closed as she let herself enjoy the warmth of his kiss. Nimble fingers worked lower until the tips of them ghosted her jaw and settled there and she gasped, breathing him in. It had been so long since they had kissed like that, unencumbered and drenched in undying want. All that mattered was them and the love they shared.  
  
When he broke away, the deep umber of his eyes lingered on her own, his thumb tracing a pattern over her lips as he refused to free her from his gaze. There was something there, a flicker of something quickly hidden, hope, sadness… she couldn’t be sure..  
  
“I love you.”  
  
Though she knew he loved her completely, it was something she’d never tire of hearing. Clinging to him, fingers wrapped tightly around his forearm, she nodded back at him. “I know.”  
  
Then he was gone, out the door and off again for however long his business kept him this time. Biting her lip, a lifelong tell of her nervousness, she glanced around at the empty space of their home. The room seeming cold and unwelcoming without his warmth filling it. Darkness fell and shrouded the place in creeping shadows. It was only a matter of time before the others returned— she knew that.  
  
They _always_ came back.

* * *

Jolting awake, her eyes suddenly flew open. Glancing at the clock beside the bed, she squinted and found it just after midnight. Something else broke her from her reverie, she could hear it, the soft sounds of the piano downstairs lilting up the stairs. This particular phenomena happened several times a week. Some phantom player sitting down to the keys and tapping out a soft melody. Though it was a lulling tune, the kind she could easily fall asleep to, it was unnerving and never failed to break her out in a cold sweat. Someone was in her home and mocking her all in an attempt to make her seem unsound.  
  
Rey flung the covers from her, stepping out of bed and scurried out of the room. Each time this occurred, she attempted to catch them, to see with her own eyes the eerie happenings that were developing under her roof. Panting, she bounded down the stairs, finding herself just outside the double doors to the study. Determined to finally catch the intruder in her house, she pulled them open roughly but the music halted at soon as she flew inside the room.  
  
Nothing. There was no one there. There was _never_ anyone there. Fisting her hair, she growled in frustration, stalking to the piano to find the sheet music for Beethoven’s _The Tempest_ propped on the stand. Maddened, she snatched them up and flung the papers aside, watching as they fluttered to the ground. It was not a possibility that she had concocted all of this in her own head. Something had woken her from sleep, a presence and she hadn’t imagined the soft notes drafting into her room. She knew she hadn’t.  
  
She was _not_ crazy.  
  
As she worked to control her breathing, she heard the doors slam behind her. They crashed together with an almighty bang, the sound reverberating around the room, startling her. Quickly turning in place to take in the sight of closed wood, she ran to wrench them back open, only to find them locked. Fear gripped her as she pounded on the wood, shrieking as she clawed and beat at its surface before frantically pulling at the handles. Despite her efforts, the door did not move an inch. Realising her struggle was a waste of energy, she whipped around, noticing the door that led into the kitchen was still slightly ajar. Terrified that it too would close, she ran across the room, crushing the piano sheets with her feet to yank the door open.  
  
The kitchen was silent, the only light in the room that of the soft moonlight that streamed in through the wide bay window. Holding her breath, she crept over the tiles, her eyes darting around in search of anything that might be amiss. Whatever had awoken her had seemed to flee, no trace or sound of it left to alert her of its presence. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she breathed once again, somewhat assured that no one was watching from the shadows.  
  
Her breath still left her in sharp huffs, terror flooding her limbs and leaving her cold and tense. She stood in the center of her kitchen for several moments, unable to move until she was sure she was safe. After she was certain that whatever haunted her had since disappeared back to wherever it had come from, she tentatively crept back through the house with the intent of returning to bed.  
  
The spirits in her house had never attempted to harm her, seemingly content to only scare her half to death every chance they got. If only Ben stuck around more to see everything that went on here. She couldn’t resent him, knowing he had no choice but to go, but it didn’t stop her from wishing things were different. If only he could _see_ what she saw.  
  
Maybe then, he would believe her.

* * *

“When are you coming home?” Rey pressed softly, trying and failing  to hide her desperation from him. The piano playing and being locked in the room had scared her and she found she needed him.

Ben’s voice was distant and broken apart over the poor connection of the line, incredibly hard to make out or decipher. “As soon as I can. Is everything okay?” 

Rey sighed and resisted the urge to fall apart over the phone. “You know it isn’t.” 

“Rey,” he pleaded. “Just come to me. I’ll take care of everything. You would love it here.”

“You know I can’t,” she whispered. “Just… just come home soon, okay?” 

She was met with a long pause, Ben’s weary sigh finally sounding over the crackled connection. “Of course I will.”

“Thank you, Ben. I _miss_ you.” 

“Not as much as I miss you, Rey. I assure you,” he replied sadly.

She ended the call then, staring down at the receiver for several moments before feeling the slow stream of tears begin to cascade down her cheeks. When had they drifted so far apart? The Ben she knew would never doubt her like this. He was so resolute in his conviction that he refused to entertain anything else. It wounded her. She was in dire need of his support but nothing hurt quite like how he refused to even entertain the happenings in the house.

A flash of movement caught her eye, some looming, dark shadow passing at the window that made the fine hairs at her nape stand on end. She turned slowly, fear clutching her anew as she searched for the passing phantom, only to find nothing at the window but the soft stream of moonlight pouring in from outside. The hazy light did little to soothe her. 

Gulping hard, her bottom lip trembled and her eyes darted about as the feeling of being watched clung to her. It was then she noticed a heap of cloth huddled into the corner, rising and falling softly as if _breathing_. She sat down the receiver carefully, slowly crossing the room to stand just beside it.

Her fingers hovered over the mass of blanket, shaking slightly in hesitation as she attempted to gather her resolve. Quickly, she reached to clutch at the fabric, wrenching it upwards to reveal whoever hid beneath.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. 

She dropped the blanket as if on fire, stumbling backwards and nearly tripped over the chair she collided with. Her heart could not take much more of this. She had never felt so alone, so _trapped._  

When she fell into bed that night, eyes wide with lingering fear, she wondered if she would ever sleep again.

* * *

“ _Rey._ ”

She rolled, the soft light of morning causing her to blink against its rays as she took in the solid form sitting next to her on the bed. She didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep, surprised to wake to the visage of her husband beside her.

Overwhelmed and overcome with relief, she sat up and flung her arms around him, pressing deeply into his warmth. “ _Ben.”_

Unable to do anything else, she began to sob, the weight of their time apart weighing on her heavily. “Please, _please_ don’t leave again.”

His splayed hands travelled upwards so he could stroke at her hair and pull her tightly against him. “Rey, I want to take you away from here. Take you somewhere better. Somewhere that you won’t feel like this.” 

“Ben,” she cried. “We built this home together. How can I just leave it? How can you _want_ to?”

He pulled away, his hands moving to her jaw as his thumb traced over her cheek. His eyes bore into hers, heavy and sad. “This house is just a place. Just four walls. My home is with _you.”_  

Fresh tears sprung from her eyes, drifting over her cheeks in a steady stream. She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him to her to land a kiss to his lips. He met it eagerly, his wide palms sliding down the expanse of her ribs to grasp her waist firmly. Nothing worried her when he held her like that, her fears slipped away.

Gently, he pushed her backwards, her head falling softly against the pillow as he deepened their kiss. He was a solid weight above her, steady and warm and for the first time in months, she felt safe. She felt as if she were not _alone_. Ben had returned to her and filled her with his unconditional love and adoration. 

She wore nothing but her underwear and one of his shirts to sleep, and Ben was met with little resistance as he snuck a hand between them to slide beneath the lacy hem. His thick digit parted her, a groan escaping him when he found her wet for him so quickly. She arched into his waiting hand, seeking more of his touch. 

Hungrily his tongue swept through her mouth while below he sunk two fingers deep inside her. Slowly, he pulled them outwards, only to thrust them back inside over and over again as he twisted his wrist to grind deeper. As he did, she lifted her hips and met him, coming down on what he had to offer time and time again. 

Rey whimpered when she felt the heavy press of his hardened cock insistent at her thigh, raising her knee to rub against it as Ben let out a soft moan. 

“Ben, _please,”_ she begged. “I need you.”

Quickly, she reached to undo the button of his pants, pushing the fabric down his legs and following immediately with his underwear to free his erect cock. It lay against her soaked core as Ben wrenched her panties down her thighs. He wrapped his hand around his length, sliding the thick head through her drenched folds to nudge at her clit.

“ _Ben,”_ she repeated urgently, oh how she needed this, she had to feel him.

He took her pleas to heart, dipping his hips to press at her entrance before sinking deep inside with ease. His lips fell to her hair as he began to thrust into her, his voice soft and pleading in her ear. 

“ _I love you.”_

 _“I need you.”_  

_“You’re still holding on, let go.”_

_“Please, come with me.”_  

Over and over, he pounded into her, each slide of his rigid length a reminder that they belonged together. That she was meant his and he was hers. She relished every pull, every slow push, every slap of skin on skin. Her fingers wove through the thick strands of his tousled hair, holding on for dear life as his lips pressed insistent kisses into the bend of her throat.

Her orgasm tore through her with the force of a storm, her body tensing in ecstasy as her inner walls clenched around Ben’s still thrusting cock. He followed after, gripping her hips tight as he slammed inside to spill into her. 

He held her close, her hands sliding over his shoulders to stroke at his spine as he lay above her. She didn’t know why tears fell from her eyes, for in that moment she was happier than she could remember being for the longest time. 

He rolled to his side, bringing Rey with him as he went and pulling her close. His thumb came up to wipe at her tears, leaning to press his lips to her temple in comfort.

“Am I crazy, Ben?”  

He shook his head, his lips still pressed softly against her skin. “Never crazy, Rey. Just a little lost.” 

“You’ll never leave me, right?” 

He leaned back to look at her, his gaze mournful. “I will never leave without you.”

She smiled up at him, pulling him to her for a kiss and closing her eyes as his lips found hers. She settling into the warmth of his embrace, his warmth killing her into a sense of peace she’d been missing. Ben was _always_ warm.

* * *

 

When Rey woke, it was to panic. Ben was nowhere to be found. Had he left her? Had he even been _here?_ Was it all a dream? She ran through the house only to find it empty, no evidence that he’d ever been there and she sunk to her knees in the center of living room as sadness took her.

Maybe she _was_ crazy.

Maybe she _did_ need help.

She didn’t know whether or not she should call Ben or not. If she let him know about this episode, surely he would take her away. Take her to someone who would claim _help_ but really only lock her away. She couldn’t bear it.  

The sun had begun to set in the sky, and idly she wondered how she’d lost an entire day. It had been morning when Ben had been there, or rather not been there. Now the sun hung low in the sky casting shades of gray twilight over the yard.

A chill crept over her, her skin prickling with cold as her teeth began to chatter. When she breathed, it left her in tiny plumes of cold that lingered in the air in front of her.

_Cold._

This house was always so _cold._

She heard the soft scrapes of footsteps against the wood just beyond in the kitchen, a slow creak of a door being pushed open sending a shiver down her spine. Why must it be her? Why must it be this house? 

She rose to her feet, filled with an anger that outweighed her dread. She stomped into the kitchen, skidding to a halt when she found the muted light of a lone candle flickering at the center of the table. Around it sat three figures that seemed to composed of haze and smoke, each joined at the hands to form a circle around the sputtering light of the candle. 

She could hear them, if she concentrated, whispers of some otherworldly voices tickling her ears. Filled with an anger she’d never known, she screamed at the macabre circle that had held her hostage in her own home.

“ _WHAT DO YOU WANT?”_ she bellowed.  

The figures jolted, dropping their hold on each other’s hands as their gazes darting around in search of her voice. She watched as one of their numbers began to scribble against bits of paper on the table, by her best guess an old woman whose head snapped around in search of Rey’s voice. 

Rey peered over her shoulder, watching as the woman transcribed what Rey had just said. Confused, Rey stumbled backwards, unsure as to what was happening. She noticed other things littered about her table, stacks of newspaper and heavy books that she didn’t recognize. 

What on earth was going on? 

The longer she was near the more the figures seem to solidify, the older woman coming into focus as well as her counterparts who looked like a young couple. The woman seemed frightened as she looked on to the woman for guidance, the man’s face pale and cautious as his eyes darted around the room. 

“ _Get out of my house_!” Rey screeched again, knocking some of the papers from the tabletop.

The young couple startled as papers fluttered around them, the young woman letting out a loud shriek of terror. Again the elderly woman copied Rey’s words to the paper, never glancing down at it as she scribbled Rey’s pleas with her pen. 

“ _It is the woman,”_ the elderly woman stated.

The young man furrowed his brow, turning his head to where Rey stood but not seeming to notice her. “She’s here now?”

The old woman nodded. “She is very distraught.”

The younger woman bit her lip, her eyes wide with fear. “ _Please,_ ask her what she wants. Ask her why she’s still here.”

Still here? What were they talking about? She stepped closer, wrought with confusion as to what these spirits could possibly be after. 

“She is… lost,” the old woman mused. “She cannot cross over because she is not even aware she has perished.” 

...perished? Did they— were they talking about _her?_  

Reeling, Rey backed away, terrified and confused as to whatever was occurring. Her foot met the crumpled heap of newspaper she’d flung from the table, and she glanced down to notice it stuck to her foot. She reached, pulling it up to study it curiously and almost dropping it in shock upon noticing the headline. 

_It was them._

There, on the cover, sat a copy of her and Ben’s wedding photo next to a grim picture of a horribly crashed car. It had been raining, the article said. Ben has lost control of the car. The words, _died on impact_ gripped her very soul as new tears spilled over her cheeks.

Her house was not haunted.

She was not seeing spirits. 

The only spirit in this house was _her._

She felt him then, turning to find Ben just in the entryway and giving her that same sad smile. Her face fell, rushing to him to throw her arms around his neck as soft sobs escaped her.

“You knew. You knew and you tried to tell me.” She cried.

He nodded into her hair. “You had to make the decision on your own.”

“You waited for me?” she asked softly, looking up at him to meet his gaze.

His forehead fell to hers, his eyes closed and his voice low. “I told you, my home is with _you.”_  

She nodded, still sniffling softly. “I’m so sorry I made you wait so long.” 

“We could go today,” he whispered. “I’ll go with you, we can be together, you’ll never be alone again.”

For the first time in a long time, Rey smiled, wiping away her tears and nodding in assent. “As long as I’m with you.” 

Ben’s face lit up, no signs of sadness clinging to him. Instead, he smiled, beaming wide as if the weight of the world no longer weighed him down. Inching closer, he held out his hand for her to take, and she took it willingly, finally ready to go with him. Denial no longer left her blind and acceptance had finally settled in. No longer scared of his offer, she placed her hand in his and startled at the coolness of his palm, frowning. Had his touch always been so cold? Had hers? 

There was so much she had overlooked. She sighed, pressing his palm to her lips to leave a kiss there. “I’m ready, Ben. Where you go, I follow. My home is wherever you are also.” 

The trademark grin that she had fallen for found its place on his face as he threaded his fingers through hers. Hand in hand they walked away from the home they’d built together in search of a new adventure. 

Even in death, life goes on. They knew as long as they had each other, there was no reason to be afraid.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I didn’t tag major character death, but I didn’t kill them. I didn’t think it counted if they’re already dead, and I worked so darn hard on the twist I didn’t want to spoil it. If it really gets your hackles raised let me know and I’ll update the tags. <3  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Come say hi on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kylotrashforever)!  
> I made a [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/KTF_Reylo), come follow me!


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